House Calls | Chloe Kim: How Do You Separate Success From Self-Worth?

What does it mean to succeed when you’ve reached the Olympic podium? How do you separate that success from your sense of self-worth?

The world knows Chloe Kim as one of the greatest athletes ever. At 17, Chloe was the youngest person to win an Olympic gold medal in snowboarding. She was the first to win two gold medals in the Halfpipe. She was the first female snowboarder to have landed back-to-back 1080s. She is the first athlete ever to win all four major snowboarding titles in the Olympics, Worlds, Youth Olympics and X Games.

Under the pressure and expectations of the world, how does Chloe stay true to herself? Now 24, Chloe holds so much wisdom. Grappling with her incredible success, she has sought to understand what truly matters - insights that have come from her moments of pain and struggle. In this conversation, Chloe opens up about how she found her way through her depression and anxiety. And how she finds inner peace. As the children of immigrant parents, Chloe and the Surgeon General talk about family and what the American Dream means to them.

Ultimately, this episode is a meditation on where we find meaning in life.

(00:03:15) Dr. Murthy and Chloe sort out Team Dog vs Team Cat tension.

(00:05:38) Where did Chloe’s love of snowboarding come from?

(00:08:55) What inspired Chloe’s parents to come to America?

(00:12:45) What were the early days of snowboarding like for Chloe?

(00:14:25) How Chloe learned to be fearless on the slopes & off the slopes

(00:17:27) How do people’s expectations of success affect Chloe?

(00:20:50) How did Chloe get through her mental health struggles?

(00:25:05) How did Chloe turn to therapy?

(00:27:45) What brings Chloe (and Dr. Murthy) inner peace?

(00:32:58) How do you live a life that’s grounded in love?

(00:38:20) What gives Chloe a sense of purpose when things get hard?

(00:39:41) Chloe’s evolving definition of success.

(00:44:12) Chloe on her relationship to self-worth and loving herself.

(00:47:04) What is Chloe’s relationship to social media?

(00:52:17) What does Chloe want her parents to know about what they’ve meant to her?

Special thanks to the President's Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition for collaboration on this episode.

We’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at [email protected] with your feedback & ideas. For more episodes, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/housecalls.

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